2001 Blue Bird ALL American Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other ALL American years
- Not enough data 9th of 25 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 14 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA about the 2001 Blue Bird ALL American. That ranks 9th out of 25 ALL American model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is fuel system, gasoline (1 complaints, 100%). There are 14 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 1owner complaints
- 14safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 0complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2001 Blue Bird ALL American problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 100% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 100% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
2001 Blue Bird ALL American recalls (14)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Electrical system:12v/24v/48v battery
Problem: Certain 2001 through 2006 my blue bird all american, tc2000, and vision transit school buses manufactured between january 5, 2001, and july 15, 2005. These buses are equipped with a battery disconnect switch that has connections that may be loose on the battery switch studs creating the potential for the bus to shut down while in operation.
Risk: Should the bus shut down while in operation, a vehicle crash could occur.
Fix: Blue bird will notify its owners and instruct them on how to repair the switch. The recall began on october 19 , 2005. Owners may contact blue bird at 478-822-2242.
Vehicle speed control
Problem: Certain 2001 through 2005 all american, commercial series, and q-bus school and transit buses equipped with john deere 8.1 cng engines. The subject buses equipped with the john deere engines may surge inappropriately due to erractic operation of the air throttle if the engine is taken from full to zero load.
Risk: Unexpected engine surge could result in a vehicle crash, possibly resulting in personal injury.
Fix: John deere will notify blue bird's customers and repair the engines free of charge. Customers are being instructed to contact john deere at 1-800-jd-engine.
Fuel system, diesel
Problem: Certain 1998 through 2002 blue bird all american, tc2000 school and transit buses, and commercial series buses equipped with cummins isb diesel engines. The fuel pump could fail to transfer fuel appropriately creating an engine stall condition.
Risk: Should the engine stall while the vehicle is in use, a possible vehicle crash could occur.
Fix: Customers will be notified by cummins to bring their vehicles to an authorized dealer to have the fuel lift pump replaced free of charge. For more information, customers may contact cummins at 1-800-diesels.
Seat belts:front:anchorage
Problem: On certain rear engine (a3re) school buses, the type and location of the fasteners used to retain the seat belt in the last row of seats does not conform to blue bird engineering specifications.
Risk: This installation may not adequately retain seat belts in the event of a severe crash.
Fix: Blue bird will provide its distributors and owners the parts and instructions to install the correct fasteners free of charge. Owner notification is expected to begin november 20, 2003. Owners who do not receive the parts and installation instructions within a reasonable time should contact blue bird at 1-478-822-2242.
Structure:body
Problem: Certain school buses fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 221, "school bus body joint strength." one or more of the bolts attaching the driver's platform to the floor structure was omitted.
Risk: The rear of the driver's platform may not be properly retained in the event of a crash which could increase the risk of injury or death to passengers.
Fix: Blue bird will notify its customers and inspect and repair the affected units. Owner notification began on november 20, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact blue bird at 478-822-2242.
Seats
Problem: On certain school buses equipped with optional seat belts or seat belt "ready" seats, some belts were installed with only two bolts rather than the required three (3) bolts.
Risk: These seats could detach from the wall side attachment points in the event of a vehicle crash, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant.
Fix: Blue bird will furnish to distributors and owners, parts and instructions necessary to install the missing bolt free of charge. Owner notification is expected to on november 3, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact blue bird at 1-478-822-2242.
Seat belts:front:retractor
Problem: On certain school and transit buses equipped with passenger seat belts with retractors, the cover halves for the retractable portion of the belt can separate completely and release the seat belt connector. If this occurs, one of the load bearing pins in the connector could separate from the connector and render the seat belt unusable. In the event of a crash, the seat occupant would not be properly restrained resulting in an injury. The seat belt supplier, am-safe, will provide a snap on "over-cover" to owners to prevent the seat belt cover from separating.
Risk: If this occurs, one of the load bearing pins in the connector could separate from the connector and render the seat belt unusable. In the event of a crash, the seat occupant would not be properly restrained resulting in an injury.
Fix: Owners will be provided a snap-on "over-cover" to prevent the seat belt cover from separating. Owner notification is expected to begin on or about september 27, 2002. Owners who do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact blue bird at 1-478-822-2242.
Equipment:other:labels
Problem: Certain transit buses fail to comply with requirements of federal motor vehicle standard no. 101, "controls and displays." this standard requires specific labeling for "engine start" and "engine stop." the wording of the labels on these vehicles do not meet the requirements of the standard.
Risk: The operator could place the engine switch in a position other than that intended, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Owners will be provided with new decals and installation instructions. Owner notification began august 29, 2002. Owners who do not receive the free label and installation instructions within a reasonable time should contact blue bird at 1-478-822-2242.
Suspension
Problem: Vehicle description: school buses equipped with hendrickson rear air suspension. Inadequate tightening of the 5/8" bolts on the rear air suspension hanger bolts and on rear axle torque arm axle seat studs.
Risk: Insufficient tightening permits movement between the components that could result in bolts and studs breaking, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the 5/8" grade 8-hanger bolts. In addition, axle spring seat fasteners will be checked for proper tightness and, if needed, tightened to specifications. Owner notification began january 18, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact blue bird at 1-478-822-2242.
Service brakes, air:drum:chamber
Problem: Vehicle description: school and transit buses. Insufficient torque on the arvin-meritor air brake chamber mounting nuts can allow the nuts to loosen over time.
Risk: This condition could reduce braking of the vehicle, possibly resulting in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the torque values on each brake chamber nut and tighten to specifications. Owner notification began november 16, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact blue bird at 1-912-822-2242.
Electrical system:wiring
Problem: Vehicle description: school and transit buses equipped with rear mounted engines. The 12-volt power supply cable(s) may be chaffed by hoses, harnesses, frame components, or clamps.
Risk: This condition can result in power failure and/or risk of fire in the engine compartment.
Fix: Dealers will remove and inspect the 12-volt power cable(s) from the battery to the starter and, if necessary, will replace the cables. Owner notification began july 30, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact blue bird at 1-912-822-2242.
Service brakes, air:slack adjusters
Problem: Vehicle description: school and transit buses equipped with a combination spicer j230 rear axle, spring suspension, and crewson brunner automatic slack adjusters. The crewson brunner slack adjuster contacts a u-bolt mounting bracket when a combination of the listed components are installed. The combination does not allow for full extension of the slack adjuster when brakes are applied.
Risk: This can cause a potential for reduced braking effort, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will install modified u-bolt brackets that will provide the needed clearance. Owner notification began march 15, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact blue bird at 1-912-825-2021.
Service brakes, air:antilock
Problem: Vehicle description: transit and school buses equipped with meritor wabco phase 1, d-version antilock brake system (abs), fail to comply to the requirements of fmvss no. 105, "hydraulic and electric brake systems." an internal diagnostic system in the abs may not detect an extreme wheel speed sensor air gap. Such a condition could possibly occur during (1) original assembly or (2) subsequent wheel end service.
Risk: Failure of the electronic control unit to detect an extreme wheel speed sensor air gap can result in the loss of antilock braking function on the wheel(s) where the air gap exists, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: The abs ecu will be removed and replaced or the ecu will be reprogrammed.
Steering:gear box (other than rack and pinion)
Problem: Vehicle description: school and transit buses. These buses could have improperly installed or missing pinch bolts in the steering shaft assemblies.
Risk: This can result in disengagement of the steering slip shaft assembly and loss of steering.
Fix: Owners will be provided with installation instructions and new replacement bolts and locking nuts for the steering shaft assemblies.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- School bus stalls (PE05028) — opened May 25, 2005, closed Sep 27, 2005, led to recall 05V382000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Dt: the caller received recall on cummins isb engine that involved engine stalling and fuel supply to the engine. But could not get the work done. This could result in loss of power. The recalls involved fuel pump and fuel pressure switch replacement. The caller had a total of 6 recalls, and first…
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2001 Blue Bird ALL American?
Owners most often report fuel system, gasoline, fuel system, other problems. The top one, fuel system, gasoline, accounts for 1 complaint.
Was there a recall on the 2001 Blue Bird ALL American?
Yes, 14 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2001 Blue Bird ALL American a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other ALL American model years, the 2001 has too little data to compare. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.